Skittles’ sweet response to Trump Jnr’s refugee analogy

Confectionary brand Skittles was unexpectedly thrust in the eye of a political storm during October when Donald Trump Jnr used Skittles as an analogy for refugees.

However, at a time when many brands have faced criticism for their crass, opportunistic responses to world events – think Crocs’ David Bowie tribute or Homebase’s #RIPPrince tweet - Skittles showed that sometimes an understated approach is the most effective when dealing with a genuinely difficult comms challenge, albeit one not of its own making.

Its response read:

"Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don’t feel it’s an appropriate analogy. We will respectfully refrain from further commentary as anything we say could be misinterpreted as marketing."

Mental health sheds the taboo mindset

Many taboos around mental health appear to have been shaken off this year, with the topic becoming a big talking point. This is not so much the work of a single brand or individual, but of several strong campaigns, frank discussion and a serious push by celebrity ambassadors and charities.

To give one of several prominent examples, Rizzle Kicks’ Jordan Stephens starred in a music video for #IAMWHOLE (below), an NHS anti-stigma campaign launched to co-incide with World Mental Health Day (10 October). Run in partnership with the YMCA, the earned media campaign is backed by a host of celebrities, including James Corden, Ed Sheeran and Dermot O'Leary, have been using their considerable influence on social to spread the message.

Vote Leave’s campaign was multi-faceted, data-driven, strong on social, firm on rhetoric, and unafraid to push boundaries (too far at times, admittedly). It also hit different audiences with different messages and was blessed with a key ingredient – passion.

Nigel Farage delivers political masterclass

Nigel Farage has taken the political world by storm this year. He is considered by many as the architect of Brexit and has dominated the right-wing political rhetoric in the UK for some time now.

The film explained that newspapers such as the Daily Mail, The Sun and Daily Express were profiting from stories and headlines that distort the truth about immigrants, and that advertising revenue was a means by which these media outlets could be brought to heel.

It called on brands to divest their advertising spend from media outlets which, it believes, promote prejudice.

Though Iceland (the supermarket) sponsored Iceland (the football team) during the Euros, the two were embroiled in a potential legal battle over rights to the name 'Iceland' in September.

The supermarket has traded under it for 45 years, but a PRWeek source familiar with the matter suggests that the country has been around a bit longer.

If Carlsberg did PR campaigns...

Carlsberg's supply of eye-catching PR stunts and campaigns seems bottomless. During March, Carlsberg unveiled a pop-up bar made entirely from chocolate, in a stunt called ‘If Carlsberg Did Chocolate Bars’, which launched ahead of the Easter bank holiday weekend.

The bar was fixed to the wall of the Truman Brewery in Shoreditch, and replicated a traditional British pub with features including a chocolate dartboard, chocolate bar stools and a chocolate television screen, showcasing one of England’s greatest World Cup moments.

It formed part of the brand’s 'If Carlsberg Did Substitutions' campaign, which aims to substitute ordinary experiences for the extraordinary for England fans.

PRWeek can drink to that.

Ground control to Major Tim

For Major Tim Peake, 2016 has been, you've guessed it, out of this world. The European Space Agency astronaut spent 186 days working on the International Space Station (ISS) for Expedition 46/47, before landing back on Earth on 18 June.

While on the ISS, the British spaceman delivered a New Year message broadcast by the BBC to celebrate 2016, remotely participated in the London Marathon via a treadmill on the space station, becoming the first man to run a marathon from space (below) and also presented Adele with a Brit Award.